USC Trojans
2021 Preseason Ranking
AP (15), Coaches (14)
Final Record: 4-8
What Went Wrong?
You mean besides everything?
The Trojans suffered a stunning loss to Stanford in Week 2, head coach Clay Helton was sacked soon thereafter, and the team played in a daze the rest of the way going 2-7 after a blowout win over Washington State.
The offense was the best in the Pac-12 – even with star receiver Drake London going down – but the penalties didn’t stop, there weren’t enough big plays from the defense, and there weren’t any breaks whatsoever in loss after loss after loss.
The team was competitive, and it gave it the old college try, but it was a lost year that should lead to a gigantic leap forward because of …
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Why 2022 Will Be Better: Returning Talent
Lincoln Riley.
Talent wasn’t really the problem last season. Other teams had a slew of great players, but the parts were there up and down the board for the Trojans.
A slew of good players are still around, and in comes QB Caleb Williams and WR Mario Williams from Oklahoma, RB Travis Dye from Oklahoma, WR Jordan Addison from Pitt, left tackle Bobby Haskins from Virginia, LB Shane Lee from Alabama, and on and on and on for an all-star team that fits the modern age of college football.
Why 2022 Will Be Better: Schedule
USC Preview | Top 10 Players | Schedule Analysis
Granted, the schedule didn’t seem that bad last year, either, and then came the losses to Stanford, Oregon State, and Cal. There are a few huge differences, though, between the 2021 and 2022 slates.
The Notre Dame game is at USC at the end of the season, not playing BYU this time helps, and best of all, the team doesn’t leave LA in November meaning there are only four true road dates – if you assume Trojan fans will help fill up the Rose Bowl for the UCLA showdown.
However, playing Utah in Salt Lake City is a problem and Fresno State is no pushover. On the plus side, there’s no Oregon and no Washington.
If everything goes right, USC should be favored in every game but the battle with Utah.